Business strategy

Lost in translation: why the issue with Australian science research isn’t funding

- December 22, 2025 3 MIN READ

When CSIRO announced it would shed hundreds of research positions, the narrative was predictable: another casualty of budget cuts, another blow to Australian science, another sign that we don’t value research. But perhaps the question shouldn’t be whether Australia invests enough in research, but whether we’re getting enough return from the research we already fund. Or have we been optimising for the wrong metric? The research scoreboard Australia’s research ecosystem has… Read more »

Rehan D'Almeida
Business

FinTech Australia says the government needs to include digital tech, including AI and cybersecurity, in its R&D Tax Incentive review

- October 20, 2025 2 MIN READ

FinTech Australia has warned that financial and other digital technologies risk being unintentionally excluded from future innovation funding unless explicitly recognised in the federal government’s current Strategic Examination of Research and Development (R&D). The fintech peak body argue its case in a submission to the R&D review’s expert panel, led by Tesla chair Robyn Denholm,… Read more »

A DroneShield gun.
ASX

ASX-listed DroneShield is spending $13 million on R&D in Adelaide

- October 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

ASX-listed defence technology company DroneShield will spend $13 million developing a new R&D facility in Adelaide, South Australia. The investment covers three years of operational and capital expenditure. DroneShield sells protection against threats such as drones and autonomous systems as well as electronic warfare solutions and off-the-shelf counter-measures for terrestrial, maritime or airborne drone attacks,… Read more »

Brian Schmidt
Business

Why Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt is worried about Australia’s lack of investment in R&D – and what it means for startups

- May 29, 2025 3 MIN READ

On Wednesday, Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt and economics professor Richard Holden gave a joint address to the National Press Club in Canberra. Their key message? Australia isn’t spending enough money on university research. Schmidt wants to ensure Australia can undertake research vital to our national interests. “I look around and I am scared,” Schmidt said.… Read more »

Climate Tech

3 things Australian universities need from the Albanese government to commercialise research and help startups succeed

- May 9, 2025 5 MIN READ

The recent call for submissions into the Strategic Examination of Australia’s R&D system has revealed ideas and frustrations that have long been articulated on numerous discussion panels. However, through this recent consultation, it has felt like more practical solutions have surfaced across the ecosystem, and many of the ideas align.  So if we could request… Read more »

Funding

University of Sydney launches $25 million pre-Seed fund for its home-grown startups

- May 5, 2025 2 MIN READ

Startups developing new treatments for cardiovascular disease, type 1 diabetes, and technology to capture carbon dioxide in the air have been backed by the University of Sydney’s new Pre-Seed Launch Fund. The $25 million fund invests in ideas and people, turning academic research developed at the uni into high-growth startups, bridging the gap between proof-of-concept… Read more »

Business

The tech sector wants the next federal government to think about how it can end Australia’s R&D ‘risk aversion’

- April 11, 2025 3 MIN READ

Australia needs to reduce its “risk aversion” in order to improve its lagging research and development (R&D) sector and fragmented innovation ecosystem, according to industry experts. The nation has struggled to capitalise on innovations developed by universities and startups, and has seen their intellectual property taken overseas in search of greater funding, a panel of… Read more »

Business

Quarry mentality: Robyn Denholm’s R&D review releases discussion paper as minister Ed Husic claims Australia is shipping its innovation ideas overseas ‘for free’

- February 13, 2025 3 MIN READ

Australia is “virtually giving [its] world-class science away for free” according to the nation’s industry and science minister, as a panel of experts reviews the country’s struggling Research and Development (R&D) system. The independent review by four industry experts, announced in December and led by Australian-born Tesla chair Robyn Denholm, released a discussion paper on Wednesday as… Read more »

Business

Tesla boss Robyn Denholm and LaunchVic’s Kate Cornick will review Australia’s R&D

- December 2, 2024 3 MIN READ

The federal government has launched a review into Australia’s research and development performance but may not live to see the result. The year-long review strategic review will be led by Robyn Denholm, chair of Telsa and the Tech Council of Australia, founder of Wollemi Capital, and operating partner at VC fund Blackbird. The review was announced… Read more »

Patrick Nappa and Alex Simmons
Funding

Startup lender Kashcade banks $1 million raise ahead of rolling out R&D tax incentive loans

- May 1, 2024 < 1 MIN READ

Fintech Kashcade has raised an additional $1 million from existing investor Prandium Capital and several high net worths, alongside a $22 million warehouse facility funded by asset-backed lending specialist Rixon Capital. The digital lender offers startup founders non-dilutive capital and will use the debt warehouse to expand into the R&D lending space, so companies can… Read more »

Uniseed CEO Peter Devine and University of Newcastle's Warwick Dawson
Venture Capital

Pioneering VC fund Uniseed doubles its backers as five universities, including Monash, UTS and Macquarie, chip in

- November 15, 2023 2 MIN READ

Australia’s oldest venture fund, university-backed Uniseed, has doubled its research partners from five to 10 as it looks to back more startups focused on research commercialisation. Joining its founding ‘sandstone’ uni group – Queensland, NSW, Melbourne, and Sydney, plus science agency CSIRO, are Monash as a full partner, alongside a collaboration partnership of four NSW universities… Read more »

Drone, farm, agriculture, agtech
Events

CSIRO has launched a free online innovation program for agrifood startups

- September 19, 2023 2 MIN READ

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is offering a new online learning program for free for startups focused on innovation in agrifood. The ‘Innovate to Grow: Agrifood’ program runs for 10 weeks from November and is designed to help early-stage companies assess how they can advance their technologies, solutions and ideas through research and development (R&D).… Read more »

Startup Daily TV

Startup Daily TV: NSW tech, innovation & science minister Alister Henskens on the state’s $800 million plan for startups

- June 29, 2022 2 MIN READ

The NSW budget, announced last week, delivered the single-largest investment in scientific research, innovation and technological development in the state’s history – $832.7 million boost over four years.  Total investment topped $1.1 billion with $270 million also announced to boost to biomedical research, on top of $119.1 million over 10 years for RNA research and… Read more »